To Save A Vampire

Chapter Thirteen

Meanwhile, as Xander was doing therapy, and collecting his goods, Buffy was searching the town for hints of this new Master. Not knowing that Angel and the others had the lowdown from Vic already.

She decided to stop by The Alibi, and chat up Willie slayer style.

Barging into the bar, she quickly found her victim, er….. informant. As soon as Willie saw the Slayer he tried to duck down and hide almost in plain sight.

As Buffy stomped her way over to the bar, a new fledgling tried to stop her, and all he got was dusted for his troubles, while his older and wiser companions just shook their heads, and mumbled about how stupid today fledges were.

Buffy reached behind the bar and did some searching until she found what she wanted, and yanking upward, pulled Willie up until he toes just touched the floor. After shaking him a few times dropped him back on his feet.

“Willie, Willie, you know better than try to hide from me, I always find you and it just makes it all the worse when I do.”

“Hi-Hi ya slayer, what can I get you to drink,” Willie stammered out. Playing his part to the hilt. After all he was being paid to pass on information this time, not to keep quiet.

“You know I wouldn’t drink anything from this place even if I brought my own glass, Willie,” snapped Buffy.

“Hey, I take exception to that,” snarled Willie, forgetting a moment who he was talking to, and what he was supposed to be doing.

“Oh stuff it, you weasel. I’m here for info on the new Master in town, who is he, where is he, and what is he up to, and I want it now,” she asked sweetly.

“His name is Gustin, don’t know, and don’t care to know,” he said, “but I thought you would have bigger fish to fry with Angelus back in town.”

“Angelus back in town you say,” she said tapping the pointy end of the stake against her chin, “Thanksfor the heads up I’ll have to take a look into that,” she said with an evil grin. Turning abruptly she left as quickly as she came in.

Two vampires stepped out of the dark, one threw a wad of money at Willie, “You did your part, and here is your payment. A word of advice, leave town for a few days, it might get hairy, and you really don’t want to get caught in the middle. Your bar serves us well, we want it to remain to serve us, and you as well.”


As the little caravan headed back to the mansion, Angel driving his car with Xander in the front, He noticed that Xander was not doing to well, his breathing was coming to fast, heart rate climbing, and he could tell that a sweat had broken out. There was nothing he could do in the car, so he sped up to get to the mansion faster.

The other two cars noticed the increase in speed and kept up with Angel, though Giles’s little citation was hard pressed to. Once they reach the long drive in front of the mansion, Angel quickly got out, rushed to Xander side, and grabbed him up and hurried inside.

Angel knew that Xander was going through was a form of shock, at what he had to do, what he did, and now the adrenaline was wearing off, and he was coming down fast and hard.

“Oh Goddess Oh Goddess, what have I done,” Xander kept repeating over and over again as he just rocked back and forth in Angel’s embrace. There were tears flowing down Xander’s face, but it was doubtful that he even noticed them, he was that far gone.

Giles and the others hurried in to the living room to see what was going on, and once Giles took in the situation, he herded everyone but Vic and Willow out of the room, and set them about getting the cars unloaded, and a light meal prepared for Xander.

Giles knew Xander would be all right he just needed time to come to terms with what had happened and what he did to rectify it. Ripper was very proud of Xander, as was Giles, but part of Giles was also appalled at the level Xander could stoop to see revenge. The curse alone on his mother was equal to what Cain received from God. And no otherworld being stopped him from casting it, which means they approved of what he did. That alone gave Giles pause to think and shiver.

Leading the Summers women into the kitchen, he quickly explained what was going on and what would be needed. Joyce the every practical Mother figure, quickly took in what Giles was saying and not saying, and got Dawn busy helping while the other semi-adults and adults helped Xander.

As Giles walked back into the living room, he could hear Angel trying to calm Xander down, and get the young man back on a stable playing field.

“Shhhh, baby everything is alright, they won’t be bothering you from now on,” whispered Angel to Xander, and he gently rocked him.

After a half an hour of this, and getting some of the broth that Joyce and Dawn had made into him, Xander began returning to his old self.

“OMG, what have I done? They may have been evil rotten parents but they were still my parents, I shouldn’t have done what I did. The worst part is I can’t undo what I did, my anger, hatred, plus with my magic, made everything permanent. Nothing will ever change what I did without extreme divine intervention.”

“Xander, you did what you felt you have to do, and nobody here blames you for anything, in fact we, all of us, are proud you only went so far and refused to go further,” Joyce commented.

“That was because I refused to become my father,” Xander said more firmly.

“Just that belief confirms for us that you will never do something like this again without just cause,” Giles re-affirmed. “We know that you will not abuse your gifts, or use them to harm other just for joy of it, or cast un wanted spells on them either.”

KNOCK KNOCK

Wondering who it could be at this time of night, Vic went to answer the door. Looking through the window on the front door, he groaned. Swinging the door opened, “I thought you were told never to come back here,” he snarled.

“Listen vamp, I don’t like you or trust you, but that is neither here nor there right now, Can you please ask them if I can come in, its important, and for Xander to remove the spell that keeps me away from him, I can barely stand to be this close to him now.”

“Alright, but you stay right there,” Vic ordered.

Walking back into the living room, he motioned for silence.

“The blonde bitch is here again, and she seems to have something to say that is important. She can’t get any closer because of a spell Xander casted on her? But whatever it is she got to say, it must be important for her to face your guys wraths”

Everyone turned and looked at Xander, rolling his eyes, he mumbled a few words and gestured with his hand, “Go get her, but Angel I want you to stand guard over Buffy, if she moves near me, snap her skinny neck.”

“Xander,” a shocked Joyce cried out.

“Joyce, I love you like a mother I never had, but I have had it with your little girl, from now on there is nothing between us but hatred. And I am sorry for that, more than you can imagine.”

“Xander, I can truly understand where you are coming from, but to hear someone order someone else to break my daughter’s neck does not set well with me. Right now my daughter and I are on the outs but she is still my daughter, and I really don’t want anything to happen to her,” explained Joyce, with tears in her voice over what has happened in the few days, and at the friendship she sees destroyed beyond repair because of her selfish daughter.

As Vic led Buffy into the living room, Xander sat straighter in his chair and Angel took up position on the other side of Buffy, so that she would have two vampire guards.

As Buffy looked across the room, she could see the looks of coldness, hatred and just plain out and out distain. Not even from her mother did she get a welcoming look. Sighing, she straightened her shoulders, deciding they were not going to get her down.

“Well tell us why you’re here, and it better be about business only, or like I said it will go into the report,” snarked Giles.

“It’s about business alright, and I think all of us need to have a heads up,” Buffy replied.

Turning towards Angel, she asked, “Have you been in a fight recently using Angelus as you moniker?”

“Yes, just the other night, why?” answered Angel stiffly.

“Well because of that, word has reached the rest of the underworld, that Angelus is back. It seems the New Master of the Hellmouth wanted me to know you were back. Willie actually volunteered the info, and he never does that. I’m betting this new master, wants Giles and Me to go after you, so I would leave him and his court alone.”

Angel looked thoughtful for a few moments, “Your right, it was way to easy to get the info out of Willie. He must have been paid to do so. If we head back there now, we would see Willie gone and one of his least liked relatives guarding the bar.”

“Buffy have a seat, for right now we have a truce until this Master problem is solved,” gestured Xander to a place on one of the couches.

Buffy shot him a glare and flopped down on the seat, grabbing a throw pillow and hugging it to her middle. She tried to remain small and unnoticed so that she could see what the group dynamics were here, before she put forth ideas, or comments. She knew she was here by Xander’s will alone, and that anyone of them would shred her to the bone if she so much as sneezed in his direction.

“I think it’s time that Angelus went and visited this Gustin, and had a little talk with him,” Angel suggested.

“Not alone,” rumbled Xander.

The two looked at each other, trying to stare the other down, and neither giving ground, until finally Angel said, “Fine”, and through his hands up and stalked away.

Turning towards the group Xander said, “I really hated do that to him, but he is going to learn, I am going to be an equal in this partnership of ours.”

Upon hearing this Buffy just squeezed the pillow harder and growled under her breath, but so only that Vic heard her, and he moved a little closer to her, just in case.

After a few minutes of slamming things in the den loud enough for everyone to hear, Angel marched back in, and stood in front of Xander.

“Okay, your going but under a few rules. Your going as my future consort, which means you have to abide by some vampire dictates. 1) you walk behind me and to my right, 2) speak only when asked a direction question or comment, 3) if I said run, by all that you hold holy, you better run, and 4) keep that ass of yours in one piece because I have dibs on it.” The last being said with a smile on his face as Angel looked at his soon to be husband and lover.

That was all the pillow could take, and with a soft bamf, the pillow burst open and feathers went everywhere. Buffy sat there with a surprised look on her face, like OMG what did I do now!

Xander couldn’t help it, he started to snicker at her expression, and soon everyone was as well, everyone that wasn’t Buffy that is. She just sat there with all the pain and anger she held in check just rushing to the surface, she jumped up and stormed out the front door, never minding that she was covered from head to toe in feathers.

Which just set the rest off all over again. By the time they were done, the stress and angst over the last few days had been lifted somewhat.

“Goodness knows I how I hate your daughter right now, Joyce. But we all needed that laugh break something fierce,” gasped Willow.

“I know, I know. I just wish that part of the mess was cleared up and done with,” a sobering Joyce said.

“Joyce, if I have anything to say about it, as the victim, your daughter will survive this, I will do everything in my power to make sure Buffy does not die. On this I give you my word,” Xander said as he held out his hand to Joyce.

Grabbing his hand, knowing that this boy, no man, showed more compassion that her own daughter could ever dream of, knowing how much she had hurt him, and here he was making promises that he might not be able to keep, just to comfort her. She just held his hand as once again she cried for the fate of her lost child.

Turning towards Giles, Xander said “Giles I want you to make it very clear in your report that I, as the victim to this crime against humanity, want nothing permanent done to her like death. I will except removal of her powers, but I do not, I repeat, do not want her death.”

“I understand Xander, and I will make it very clear. You also can do so when you are called for testimony, and you can have your say then as well.”

Nodding towards Giles, Xander turned to the rest of the group, after rescuing his hand from Mrs. Summers, and proceeded to make out the plans for the evening.

“Okay, since I am going to be with Angel, I can’t let you guys flounder around defenseless. This Gustin might take it as an op to grab someone. So Vic and Giles will remain here, until we return, with the ladies. Not that I am implying that the ladies are not able to look after themselves, but we have someone who can do magic without fainting, and someone who can detect underworld citizens as well.”

Joyce tried to argue that she and Dawn were perfectly safe at home, but after a few minutes of listening to both Angel and Giles, and after seeing the logic in this, she agreed with Xander’s plan, and Angel showed them places they could spend the rest of the night and the day tomorrow.